This disclosure relates generally to devices employed for recovering disabled heavy duty vehicles which may, for example, be military trucks, tanks and other armored vehicles. More particularly, this disclosure relates to devices employed for towing and to devices employed for hoisting.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,911 of the inventor herein and to which the present disclosure relates, a truck towing boom attaches to the fifth wheel of a tractor. The assembly has a pair of uprights and a pair of pivotally mounted legs. Hydraulic cylinders are actuated to force the legs to a pivoted position which lifts the legs on the tow truck to an elevated position for towing. The legs are supported by a collapsible wheel assembly. The disclosed boom assembly is variably vertically positioned and in one embodiment is collapsible to a compact storage configuration.
The present disclosure relates to a highly versatile multi-functional boom assembly which is especially adapted for the recovery of heavy duty military vehicles such as tanks, armored carriers, Humvees® and other applications and especially adapted for recovery in harsh and adverse conditions. The present disclosure relates to a boom assembly which may be transformable between a functioning crane and a towing boom with an underlift that may be effectively used for towing.